Friday, April 30, 2010

worked more on this last night. still putting down shapes and foliage and filling the space. haven't defined much yet. i did add a nest which i'm excited about. Orioles make these really cool sack- like nests that are wonderfully constructed. this is my interpretation of one so far.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

started this one over the weekend. as mentioned before, its quite liberating to jump straight into the painting and resolve things as you go along. of course i use a small watercolor composition as a departure, but its starting to evolve on its own. i enjoy not defining every single element but rather break up and imply the shapes and space through abstracted form. there is starting to be a more overall unity of sorts, for now at least.

Monday, April 12, 2010

started this yesterday. it felt good to approach it directly with a brush versus drawing it out beforehand. i'm hoping to push and pull the objects in space a little more this time. now that i knocked back the first pass, i plan on pulling and defining edges and adding more folliage. you can start to see with the branch so far. going to add some tulips as well.

Friday, April 9, 2010

so this might not look like much but was a big discovery for me. last night after finishing the red headed babblers piece (below) i did this study of foliage. i guess what was so liberating for me was loosening up, putting down shapes and values, and dealing with the imagery more organically. i have been hesitant to introduce this in my work but i feel its about time. its not necessarily a drastic change, but more so the approach. anyway, this little study has opened something for me....i think.

Monday, April 5, 2010

a couple of more watercolor sketches. the scans didn't pick up the subtleties of the medium but you get the idea. i've been really liking the looseness if watercolor. i would like to translate this into my paintings. yep, i'm kind of scared to do so. funny eh? i like the lack of detail and focus on the shapes. i'll build up the courage to try it soon. life's too short to not to, right?.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

yesterday i bought a little watercolor field sketch box by Sakura. i'm crazy about it! my girlfriend and i are going to visit the NY Botanical Garden soon and i wanted to bring along something to sketch with. i've worked with the medium before but never really got into it until now. i'm starting to think why i haven't use these before!? here's some thumbnails and stuff from my sketchbook, getting used to the medium again. i'm so excited to do composition studies, especially when they look goofy and plus they lead to an new door of possibilities.

well, the majority of the work is finally done. white walls, taa daa! i'm excited to get to work in here. last night was the first night i got to really get aquatinted with it. the bookshelf on the floor to the right is going to be gone soon. i want to free up that wall for working on large pieces.